Screwdriver



May 27, 1958 c, GARQFALO 2,836,210

SCREWDRIVER Filed Oct. 12, 1956 CA El? [/YE Ga EOFHLO United States Patent SCREWDRIVER Carmine Garofalo, Port Arthur, Ontario, Canada Application October 12, 1956, Serial No. 615,541

1 Claim. (Cl. 145-50) My invention relates to new and useful improvements in screwdrivers, the principal object and essence of my invention being to provide a device of the character herewithin described which is an addition to an existing screwdriver not only giving the choice of two blade sizes, but also permitting one blade to be extended at right angles or at any other angle desired and leverage applied to the other blade through the angulation formed.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described in which the further blade is adapted to be nested within the handle of the screwdriver.

With the foregoing objects in view, and such other objects and advantages as will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates as this specification proceeds, my invention consists essentially in the arrangement and construction of parts all as hereinafter more particularly described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is a front elevation of my device with the additional blade shown nested within the handle.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, but with the blade fully extended.

Figure 3 is an elevation at right angles to Figures 1 and 2, but with the blade extended at 90 to permit torque to be applied to either blade as desired.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.

It is often necessary to provide extra torque to a screwdriver in addition to the power being supplied through the handle and many methods are used to supply this torque such as wrenches applied to the flattened end of the screwdriver. However, these are not satisfactory as slippage can occur.

I overcome these disadvantages by not only providing a screwdriver having the choice of two blades, but furthermore permitting either blade to be used conventionally or with the necessary degree of torque required.

Proceeding, therefore, to describe my invention in detail, it will be seen upon reference to the accompanying drawings that I have illustrated a screwdriver having a shank 1 and a screwdriver blade 2 formed upon the lower ends thereof. A handle 3 is formed on the opposite end 4 of the shank 1, said handle being open and consisting of a pair of arms 5 diverging upwardly from the upper end of the shank 1. These arms continue parallel and then terminate at the upper ends 6 thereof by the provision of inturned ends 7 thus forming a cross bar or cross member at the junction therebetween.

I provide a further shank 8 having a bearing hub 9 formed upon the lower end 10 thereof, said bearing hub adapted to engage around the aforementioned inturned ends 7 and to be pivoted thereupon.

A blade 11 is formed upon the opposite end 12 of the shank 8, said blade preferably being at right angles to the blade 2.

in operation, Figure 1 shows the additional shank 8 and blade 11 in the nested position between the arms 5 of the handle 3 whereupon the blade 2 can be used in the conventional manner.

Alternatively, the shank 8 and blade 11 can be extended as shown in Figure 2 and this blade can be used in preference to blade 2.

In any event, if either the blades 2 or 11 is required to be used with additional torque, shank 8 can be extended at any angle as for example, a right angle illustrated in Figure 3, whereupon either blade can be engaged within a screw head and the opposite shank used to supply torque to the screw.

It will also be appreciated that the shank 8 can be extended beyond the right angle thus enabling the operator to reach screws which cannot be reached by a straight screwdriver.

It should also be appreciated that the bearing hub 9 engaging over the cross shaft 7 should have suificient frictional engagement one with the other to permit the shank to remain in the position that it is placed with relation to the shank 1.

Since various modifications can be made in my invention as hereinabove described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claim without departing from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed as my invention is:

A screwdriver including a shank, an open handle extending from one end of said shank, and a blade formed on the other end of said shank; a further shank pivotally secured by one end thereof to said handle, said further shank adjustable to be nested within said handle and extended therefrom as desired, said open handle comprising a pair of arms diverging upwardly from said shank, the upper ends of said arms being inturned towards each other to form a transverse cross bar, and a bearing hub formed on said one end of said further shank around said ends of the arms forming the cross bar.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 228,660 McDonald June 8, 1880 236,692 Peakman Jan. 18, 1881 699,773 Stunp May 13, 1902 903,549 Dodd Nov. 10, 1908 1,243,667 Ard Oct. 16, 1917 2,563,126 Marogg Aug. 7, 1951 2,726,695 Malm Dec. 13, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 579,494 France Oct. 17, 1924 

